Lupine Studios
by Zanza Flux
Summary: Some jobs aren't worth the expensive ink it costs to pull it off. Abel and Bendy finds that out the hard way.


**AN:** Abel Angel and Benicio "Bendy" Drew was created by the-vampire-inside-me and thelostmoongazer respectively. You can find their wonderful work on tumblr.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own anything from Bendy and the Ink Machine, only my OCS.

* * *

"So, this info's legit?" the demonic mob boss was staring down at his informant. Benicio 'Bendy' Drew often kept an ear out for lucrative business opportunities.

"Yup. I sent my guys ta collect the Intel myself." A short rat in a wrinkled business suit was puffing on a comically large cigar. Benicio sometimes came to him for information on studios with large caches of ink.

"Well, if things work out, I'll make sure you get your cut." Benicio was standing in the darkened alleyway with the rat. He had a crowbar in hand, hanging loosely at his side.

The rodent reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a vanilla folder. He handed it over. "It's a relatively new studio. It's only been open for a few months. All the info you need is in that envelope along with a map the boys drew up." He began to fidget with his tie and toon demon took notice.

"Is there something I should know about?" Benicio tapped the crowbar against his leg. He didn't have time for games.

"Well, m'boys said there's somethin' off about ta place. No one stays in the studio afta dark. The workers practically run outta the joint when the day's up. Their boss is always the last to leave too." The rat was rubbing the back of his neck. He wouldn't meet the mob boss' piercing glare. "I even offered ta pay some of my boys extra ta stay the night. They all refused."

Benicio just rolled his eyes at this. "The mice have always been skittish."

"Not like dis boss. Not when money's involved." The rat took a few more puffs of his cigar before flinging it further down the alley. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and began to walk away.

"You can take the warnin' or not. Jus' be careful boss." And with that, the toon demon was left standing in the alley, alone.

* * *

The next evening Benicio met up with his partner in crime, Abel Angel. They sat at a small table near the back of their local bar. A map of the studio they were about to break in was spread out on the table.

"So, the place is called Lupine Studios? Huh, never heard of it." The toon angel was staring at the map along with instructions on how to reach the place.

"From what I know, it's new. It's been open for a few months." Benicio pointed to the directions. "It's not that far either. It's on the edge of the next town over."

"It sounds too easy. What's the catch?" Abel had went on plenty of gigs with the toon demon to know things were never this simple.

"No catch. Just get in, grab the ink, and get out. The place is practically empty after dark. There won't even be a police chase afterwards. " Benicio said with a huge grin on his face. Abel was skeptical but couldn't see anything wrong.

"Fine! I'll go with ya. Just get us there quietly and in one piece."

"Oh c'mon! My drivin's not that bad." Abel shuddered at the last time he was in the car with the mob boss. He ended up in the hospital. "Uh huh. Well, I could always fly us there." The angel turned to his partner with a mischievous grin on his face.

"Like hell you will! You had me dangling from atop a four story building the last time!" He was pointing an accusing finger at the angel. "We're takin' my car!" Abel just chuckled.

* * *

It took them an hour and a half to reach Lupine Studios. The two story building was in a very deserted part of town. It worked in the duo's favor, but Abel wondered more than once why anyone would pick a spot out here. Benicio parked the car close to the building. There was just enough moonlight for them to find there way around.

They made there way to a side door. The door was easily jimmied by Benicio and his trusty crowbar. The toons found themselves in a short, dark hallway. Abel made his halo glow bright enough to light their way. The hall ended in a larger room with a door on either end of it. The first thing they saw was a bust of a wolf's head. The name on the plaque read: Theodore Lupus.

"That's the head of the studio. Heh, he must really love wolves." Benicio pointed to the murals covering the walls. It was scenes of a dark forest. There were shadowy wolf shapes darting in and out of the trees. Abel got a strange vibe from it all. It made his wings twitch the longer he looked at it.

"Hey angel face! Need a little light over here." Abel shook his head and walked over to the demon as he studied the map. His halo gave them enough light to read the map. The ink was stored in a room on the lower level. They just had to head to the stairwell that lead to it. Seemed easy enough. The halls looped around like a giant rectangle with a large room in the middle. They needed to go to the right. The stairs leading down was there.

The toons stepped out of the room and found themselves in a hallway lined with doors. The walls were covered with more murals of wolves. Some were just a blurry figures while others were easier to see. Even with the dim light from the toon angel's halo, they could tell that the paintings were black and white with shades of grey that made up the forest itself.

Something about the caricatures seemed off. It took a few minutes of walking for Abel to figure out what it was. It's the eyes. The wolves didn't have realistic or even cartoonish eyes. The eyes were white circular voids. It gave off an eerie, emotionless, and unblinking vibe to them all. It gave him the creeps!

"Huh, I can see why no one wants to be here at night. Who wants these things starin' at ya all the time." Benicio's eyes were darting from the walls to the end of the hall. "Hell, I don't think I could take all those eyes on me in the light of day!" Abel couldn't agree more. The building was too quiet too. It made his wings twitch. The toon angel had the sudden urge to pull out his brass knuckles. Even Benicio was gripping his crowbar in both hands.

They made it to the end of the hall and turned the corner. The duo found the staircase that would lead them to the lower floor. They went down the stairs and stopped at a thick metal door. It took a couple of tries but they managed to pry it open. Benicio tapped the wall until he found a light switch. The light fixtures on the ceiling blinked on and off a few times before they glowed steadily. The toons breathed a sigh of relief. The walls were devoid of the murals that were on the first floor. That strange feeling seemed to be gone as well.

They walked down a long hallway until they hit a T shaped intersection. According to the map, they needed to take the left corridor. They kept walking until they came to a set of thick double doors. The toons pushed down on the latch and pulled the doors open. The room was large but pitched black. Abel had to concentrate to make his halo glow a little brighter, but it only lit the room a few feet in either direction. It was enough for Benicio to find the light switch against the wall.

Soon the room was flooded with bright light. It was almost too bright. It left both toons blinking as they waited for their eyes to adjust. What they saw left them both speechless, but for different reasons.

Benicio's eyes were shining at the bottles of ink that lined the shelves against the wall. There were a bunch of crates that were stacked up in the corners as well. If he had to guess, they were full of ink too. The ink demon rubbed his gloved hands together as his grin grew wider.

"Looks like we hit the motherlode!" He walked over and began inspecting the shelves. Benicio whistled and said they had some good stuff. Abel was only halfway listening because he was busy staring at the wall.

On the main wall was a single, large wolf! It was hunched over and staring down at the room. It had the same white eyes like the others. Dark tree branches surrounded it but it made a strange spider web like pattern. Abel thought he saw words or symbols threaded throughout the branches. They were white against the darkness and some even blurred together. That eerie feeling was strong in this room.

"Hey angel face, why don'cha bring me one of those crates. Let's see if they have ink in them too." Benicio pointed to some of the crates that were stacked in the corner.

Abel headed towards the corner when he noticed paperwork scattered on a desk close by. It turned out to be sketches of the same wolves they'd seen all over the walls. There were writings in the corners along with symbols. He couldn't read it because it all seemed to be in a different language. He frowned and put the sketches down. No sense in getting himself worked up over nothing.

The toon angel used his wings to pull down one of the heavy crates. He carried it over to Benicio so they could see what was inside. The ink demon pride the top open with his crowbar. Inside was a different brand of ink than the ones on the shelves.

"Whew wee! Where in the hell did they get these!?" Benicio pulled out one bottle for Abel to examine. The bottle seemed to have Chinese writing on it and the drawing of a dragon wrapping itself around the label.

"This stuff is freakin' rare!" Abel looked around the room to see at least ten other crates stacked in the corner. "I've never seen so many in one place!"

Benicio chuckled. "We'll make a killin' off of these! Quick, grab another crate." The demonic mob boss looked like a kid in a candy store. He thumbed through the bottles and counted them. "We can probably fit two or three full crates in the car. They won't even be missed!"

Abel walked back to the corner and reached out with his wings to grab another wooden crate. He froze when the temperature in the room dropped suddenly. The toon angel wasn't sure why but something in the room made his halo shudder. He wanted to voice his concerns to his partner, but what he saw caused a lump to form in his throat.

Benicio was so busy hunched over the wooden crate, he didn't notice the gaping maw about to bite his head off! Abel didn't waste any time. He rushed to the demon's side and pushed him out of the way just as large, strong jaws crashed down on the wooden crate.

Both toons tumbled a few feet across the floor. They were a tangle of arms, legs, and wings as they fought to get to their feet.

"Abel! What the hell?" The irate demon turned on him. He was ready to let loose a plethora of curse words when the toon angel pointed to something just over his shoulder. Benicio growled and was ready to give whatever was back there a piece of his mind. Unfortunately, he was drawing a blank.

There was a large wolf's head that seemed to emerge from the mural on the wall. It stared at them with round, unblinking white eyes. The wolf had broken glass, bits of wood, and ink dripping from its jaws. It growled at them as it pulled the rest of its body from the wall. The wolf was black, shaggy, and stood at least six feet at the shoulders. It looked like a living sketch. Kind of flat and three dimensional at the same time.

Benicio and Abel snapped out of their stupor when the beast growled and its hackles raised high on its back. The large wolf charged at them. The ink demon rolled under the beast's large head when it tried to snap at him. He swung his crowbar as hard as he could into the wolf's lower jaw. The creature yelped and lashed out, slamming Benicio down to the ground and pinning him under its large paw.

Abel reached behind his back with his wing and pulled out a set of large brass knuckles. He threw himself at the sketch wolf and hit it in the face so hard, it got knocked off its feet. The wolf's claws got caught in Benicio's shirt and tore a good portion of it as it tumbled across the floor. Abel landed next to him and helped him up. "Bendy, you alright?"

"I'm fine! That stupid mutt ruined one of my good shirts!" Abel looked his friend over and noticed he didn't have a scratch on him. He almost got his head bitten off and all he could worry about was his shirt!

A gurgling growl caught both of their attentions. The wolf struggled to get to it's feet. It's bottom jaw was hanging at an odd angle with ink dripping from it. The part of its face that got hit with the brass knuckles looked whited out. It was like someone took a cloth and tried to wipe half its face off. There was nothing but a white void where the eye and half the face used to be.

"What in the hell is that?" Abel didn't have an answer. He's never encountered anything like this. He took a quick glance at the brass knuckles. There was ink smeared across it. What really bothered him was that it was just a smear and not dripping off his knuckles after the hit the wolf took.

The sketch wolf shook it's head, causing its jaw to snap back into place. It lowered its head and growled at them. Even though its white eye hadn't changed, its body language spoke volumes. It was going to tear them apart.

The wolf managed to take one step before the demon and angel bolted for the double doors. Benicio and Abel could hear the wolf's claws scrambling against the floor as it bounded after them. They grabbed the handles and pushed the heavy doors open. The duo dove through the open doors and slammed them shut behind them just as the beast hit it. Abel could barely keep the doors closed as the wolf rammed them. The beast pressed its full weight against the doors and managed to push its head through a widening gap. The wolf open its large jaws and bit down on Abel's wing.

Abel screamed as searing pain lanced through his wing and shoulder. He couldn't pull his wing out of the wolf's mouth without letting go of the door, but the pain was so intense that his knees buckled. The toon angel barely heard Benicio call out to him. The ink demon slammed the crowbar into the wolf's head over and over again until it finally let go. The creature howled and pulled its head back through the door.

They finally slammed the door shut. Benicio took his crowbar and shoved it into the handles of the doors so they wouldn't open. The doors shuddered as the beast scratched at the door. They managed to trap the sketch wolf in the room, for now.

Benicio helped Abel to his feet and they fled down the dimly lit hallway. They pushed open the door to the stairwell and stumbled up the steps. Just as their feet hit the first floor, they were startled by a howl that seemed to shake the walls around them.

"Bendy, what the hell was that?!" The angel looked over his shoulder to see if the large sketch wolf was coming up behind them. He could still hear the echoing sound of the beast hitting the doors.

"Hell if I know!" Benicio shouted. He was hunched over, trying to catch his breath when he heard…more howls. They were numerous and seemed to be coming from all directions. "Shit!" There were growls and snarls coming from the hall where the entrance was. The angel and demon quickly glanced at one another before taking off down the opposite hallway.

The toons could hear the scratching of claws against the hardwood floors and knew that there was at least a dozen or more things heading in their direction. They turned down a hallway that was lines with doors. They needed a place to hide. One after another, each door was locked. The demon and angel started to panic. The creatures were getting closer and if they didn't find a place to lay low, they would get torn apart.

Abel finally found a door that was unlocked just as the shadows of their pursuers could be seen against the far end of the hallway. "Bendy, get your ass in here!" The angel grabbed the mob boss by his upper arm and practically threw him into the dark office. He closed the door as quietly as he could and pushed Benicio to the far side of the room. Abel dimmed the light from his halo.

Benicio put a finger to his lips and made a hushing motion. They held their breath for what seemed like forever as the hallway grew quiet before several figures ran passed the door. They could hear the clicking of claws near the door. It stood there for a few seconds and made a sniffing sound at the door before moving on. More figures mulled around outside the door before moving off. The hallway grew quiet again.

Benicio and Abel sighed audibly. The angel slumped against the wall while the demon stared at the door. Abel watched as his friend scratched the back of his head. "Huh. I guess this is why the mice didn't want to stay here at night."

Abel's eye twitched. "What?"

Benicio shrugged lazily and chuckled. "My informant told me that his boys were too scared to stay in this building after dark." He waved his gloved hand at the door. "I told him the mice were just being skittish. Heh, guess I was wrong."

Abel would have strangled his friend with his wings...if the demon had a neck and his wing didn't feel like a dog's chew toy. Leave it up to Benicio to completely ignore a warning just to make a quick score. He wanted to be surprised, really he did…but he wasn't. When it came to money, any risk was worth the trouble. Abel rolled his eyes and banged the back of his head against the wall.

"Hey c'mon!" The demon had a huge grin on his face. "All we have to do is head back the way we came. " He sighed and crossed his arms. "I'd hate to leave all that good ink though…"

Abel shook his head as he tended to his wing. It didn't seem broken, but it hurt like hell. "We need to find another way out."

"Wha-why!?" He winced. He didn't mean to shout. Benicio glanced at the door. Nothing was there. "Look angel face, all we have to do is go back the way we came."

Abel sighed and ran a hand down his face. "Do you remember the murals we passed before heading down stairs? Remember all the wolves that were in them?" He pointed to the door. "If they're anything like the big one in the basement…" he trailed off leaving Benicio to connect the dots.

The demon went through several expressions within a matter of seconds. From anger, to confusion, and then mild shock. Abel would have laughed if things weren't so dire. Benicio's eyes grew wide when the realization of their situation finally hit him. "Shit…" The angel couldn't agree more.

Benicio pulled the map out of his back pocket. He spread it out onto the floor between them. They hunched over it and used Abel's halo as a source of light.

As they sat on the floor and studied the map, they could hear a muffled crash from the floor below them. Abel's eyes darted over to the door. "Sounds like the big guy's free."

Benicio frowned. According to the map, the hall they walked through seems to loop around with the main hall in the middle. On closer inspection, written in small, messy scrawls was two words: Statue and Skylight.

"Hey, I think I may have found a way out!" Benicio pointed to the middle of the map. "Looks like the main hall might have a skylight. If we can reach those windows, we should be able to get out from there." The demon grimaced slightly as he looked at Abel's wing. "I hope there is a way to reach it because I don't think you'll be up ta flyin'."

Abel sighed. He tried to fold the injured wing back but it shook slightly. He suppose they could shoot their way out, but he didn't know how many of the beasts roamed the halls. Looks like the skylight was the best way to go.

Benicio reached into his holster and pulled out his gun. He stroked the barrel of the weapon lovingly and whispered to it, "Oh Shirley, daddy's gonna need you tonight."

Abel watched his friend with a bemused smile on his face. He rolled his eyes and pulled out his own gun. He couldn't say anything to his friend, after all, he named his brass knuckles 'Mercy'. The angel just thought it was a little odd to faun over a gun like it was a lover.

* * *

They waited in the room for a few more minutes before Benicio poked his head out the door. Once he deemed the coast clear, he waved for Abel to follow and they crept down the hall. The duo moved as quickly and quietly as they could. They knew there was only a matter of time before the wolves tracked them down.

All they had to do was make it around the next corner and down the long hall to reach the door to the main hall and freedom. That thought didn't help them relax. If anything, they were completely on edge! The hall was devoid of life and the only sound they could hear was the squeaking of the floorboards every time they took a step. The light from the toon angel's halo was just bright enough to light a few feet around them. This caused them to eye the darkness around them warily.

The duo made it around the corner, and even though they couldn't see that far ahead of them, they knew they were on the right track. They only had to make it halfway down the hall to reach the door and they were home free. Benicio shot Abel a quick glance, and without saying a word, they broke out into a sprint.

The toons manage to run for a few seconds when a symphony of snarls stopped them in their tracks. They spun around and saw four sets of white eyes shining in the dark near the corner. The duo didn't know how the wolves managed to sneak up on them and at the moment, it really didn't matter.

"Shit!" it was the only word Abel could utter before the wolves were on them. As they shot at the beasts, bright flashes from muzzle flares illuminated the area around them in small bursts. Wide, unblinking eyes and sharp, jagged teeth filled their vision as the wolves barreled down the hall.

"Bendy, we gotta keep moving!". They backed up and kept shooting. They could hear pain filled yelps and the thud of bodies hitting the floor. Every time they managed to take down a wolf, another would take its place. The growls echoed down the hall and grew louder as more wolves joined the fray.

Benicio suddenly noticed a glint of metal to his left. The light of Abel's halo bounced off the brass handles to large, wooden, double doors. The toon demon reached out for it just as a loud, deafening howl shook the walls. He looked over his shoulder and it made his heart race. More eyes, including a single eye that towered over the rest, was running down from the other end of the hall. It was the big guy!

"They're trying to box us in!" Benicio shouted as he turned the handle. A wolf managed to dodge his shot and lunged for him. All of a sudden, Abel used his good wing to punch the wolf. He sent it crashing into the wall with a sickening crack. It laid limply on the floor. The duo didn't have time to wonder if it was dead or not, the other group of wolves lead by the big guy was closing in fast.

Benicio kicked one of the doors open. Abel took a few more shots before rushing into the room with the demon close behind. They slammed the door and locked them both just as the wolves slammed against it. The beasts snarled and scratched at the doors, but it didn't budge.

The duo took a moment to catch their breath before surveying the room. The hall was large and bathed in moonlight. There were wooden desks and chairs lined against the walls on either side of them. In the middle of the room stood what looked like a tall, bronze statue of a man in a suit, pointing towards the sky. It stood on a marble pedestal with a rectangular bronze plaque imbedded into it. The piece wasn't complete. It only had one arm, headless, and was surrounded by scaffolding. The metal beams and wooden planks crisscrossed their way up the entire structure.

The moonlight was streaming in through a skylight in the ceiling of the main hall. There were a few incomplete stairs by the wall that look like it lead to a platform built under the skylight.

"Well, this is just great." Benicio huffed as he holstered his gun. It looked like the only way up was the scaffolding. He pointed to the rickety structure. "Looks like we're climbin'." Abel grimaced but he saw no other way.

They ran towards the scaffolding in the middle of the hall before something heavy hit the doors behind them. There was a loud snarl as a heavy body hit the doors again. It was the big guy! The doors rattled and buckled slightly under the large wolf's weight.

"That's not gonna keep them out much longer!" Abel turned back to see Benicio trying to scale the metal beams. The beast hit and clawed at the doors. Wood splintered and flew across the room. They were running out of time.

Benicio barely made it two feet off the ground when he was grabbed from behind. "Abel! What the hell…!?"

"No time!" Abel wrapped his arms around Benicio's waist and yanked him away from the scaffolding. The toon demon looked over his shoulder to see the angel spreading his wings. The damaged wing shook slightly. "Abel! Don't you dare…"

The wolf hit the doors so hard that the lock broke and they swung wide open. The room filled with the sounds of claws scrambling against the hardwood floor. The big wolf charged in with its pack close behind.

A string of curses escaped Benicio's lips as Abel leapt into the air. Feathers flew as the angel flapped franticly. The wolves growled and snapped at their heels as they gained altitude.

Right away, the demon knew something was wrong. Abel was weaving in the air and breathing heavily. "Oi angel face! You alright?" Benicio shouted.

"I-I'm fine!" Abel said through gritted teeth. He tried to concentrate on getting them to the ledge, but the pain in his wing was distracting. He had a hard time extending it all the way and his shoulder felt like it was on fire. Abel had to get them to the platform quickly before his wing gave out. The wolves were just waiting for them at the bottom if they didn't make it.

They got within a foot of the platform when Abel's wing finally gave out. The toon angel gasped when the injured wing crumpled and sent them banking to the side. The duo would have been sent crashing to the floor if Benicio hadn't reached out and grabbed the edge of the platform. He just barely held on with the tips of his fingers.

"HOLD ON ABEL!" Benicio swung their bodies until he could get a good grip on the surface with his other hand. He took a few deep breaths and began hauling them up. The demon strained under both their weight until Abel's good wing extended up and onto the platform. It hurt his shoulders but it helped lessen the burden on Benicio and they pulled themselves up.

Both toons collapsed onto the smooth surface. Abel rolled over on his hands and knees. He tried to catch his breath. His damaged wing was hanging limply over the side. The angel groaned as he shakily pulled it up on top the platform. Just as he managed to steady himself, a pair of strong hands grabbed the collar of his shirt and yanked him to his feet. Abel came face to face with a very angry demon.

"Fine? FINE?!" Benicio shook the angel slightly. "Like hell you're 'FINE'! What were you tryin' to do? Kill us!?" He shook Abel until the angel pushed him away.

"J-Just shut up and get that damned window open so we can get outta here!" The angel swayed on his feet and would have fallen over if Benicio hadn't reached out and caught his arm.

There was a loud band and the scaffolding shuddered. The toons looked at one another before peeking over the edge. The smaller wolves were circling at the base of the statue while the big guy was actually climbing it! It was using the metal beams like a step latter.

"Aw geez, doesn't that thing ever give up?!" Benicio shouted. He pulled Abel towards the windows. They unlatched the locks and pushed on the glass. The skylight was on a slant and made of very thick glass. It was extremely heavy and the duo barely got it to open a few inches on their first try.

The large wolf managed to scale to the top of the statue and was crawling over the outstretched arm. Its balance was unsteady as its wobbling gate caused the entire statue to sway. It stood on the outstretched arm, hunched over, and leapt towards them. It landed on the platform, just a few feet away from the toons. The beast only managed to get the upper half of its body on the platform while its lower half was left dangling and kicking in the air.

Abel looked over his shoulder. The wolf was uncomfortably close as it snarled, snapped, and clawed at the smooth surface. Inch by inch, it was pulling itself closer to them. It had a single mindedness that really scared him.

The toons frantically pushed against the window. Abel even used his good wing to pushed against the cold glass. They managed to slowly open it and Abel yelled for Benicio to slip through. As soon as the demon got outside, he planted his feet and held the window open for Abel. The angel wasted little time scrambling through the narrow opening.

As soon as the angel's wing cleared the window pane, Benicio let it go, and it crashed back into place just as the beast hit the glass with a thud. They both made it out and not a moment too soon.

Abel was laying on his back, panting heavily while Benicio crouched next to him with his gun pointed at the window. Both toons and wolf were staring at each other with only a few inches of thick glass between them.

The beast growled and pressed its muzzle against the glass. Its hot breath fogged up the window as it stared at them with its one good eye. The wolf seemed to eye Abel in particular before it backed away and disappeared into the studio. There was a cacophony of howls before the building grew silent.

When he was sure the creature was gone, Benicio stood up, and holstered his gun. He chuckled and smirked at the battered angel. "Some night huh. That wolf really had it out for ya."

Abel scowled at him. "Shut up!" He ran his hand down his face. All that runnin' and gunnin' wore him out. "I need a drink."

"Heh, you and me both." Benicio helped Abel to his feet. They needed to find some way off the roof without getting each other killed.

"That's good…because you're buyin'." Abel slung his arm over the demon's shoulder and they hobbled across the roof.

"No way cherub! This job was a bust. We didn't get a single crate of ink!" Benicio griped. He hated to walk away empty handed.

"And whose fault is that?" the two toons bickered all the way back to the car. Both were just glad to get out of that strange place alive.

 **OoOoOoOoO**

As the sun started to rise in that desolate part of town, a single car drove up to Lupine Studios. A man in a business suit got out of his car and entered to the building.

This gentleman had short, salt 'n pepper hair, thick black rimmed glasses, and looked to be in his mid forties. He loved being the first at work every morning. This studio was his baby, his pride and joy. This was the head and owner of the studio, Theodore Lupus.

Theodore liked the peace and quiet of an empty studio. He would often walk the halls, brushing his fingers against the murals he painted himself. His children, the wolves, were his eyes and ears within the studio. Their unnerving stares often kept his workers in line during the day and they kept the studio safe at night. There was usually a sense of tranquility when he arrived each morning…except today.

As soon as Theodore walked through the lobby, he knew something was wrong. The wolves body language in some of the murals was very agitated while others were missing all together. There were scratches on the hardwood floors and puddles of ink in the corners.

Theodore raced through the halls. He grew even more alarmed at the state of the place. More puddles of ink and what looked like bullet holes peppered the walls and floors. Someone had broken in and hurt his beloved wolves!

He headed for the stairwell that lead to the basement. If there was anything missing, it would be down there. He made his way to the storage room and a broken door was the first thing to greet him. Theodore stepped into the room and found scratches and inky paw prints leading out the room.

He approached the wall where his greatest masterpiece reside. "Oh Alpha…" He reached up and ran his fingers over the ruined side of the wolf's face. The beast's head was tilted downward and Theodore followed its line of sight.

Sitting at the foot of the mural was the broken bits and pieces of a crate. Ink and glass was scattered across the floor. What got the man's attention was a torn piece of cloth and a few snow white feathers. He picked one up and ran his fingers across it.

"Another toon was here?" Theodore had been around enough toons in his line of work. The feather was too big to belong to any bird in this area. And even though it was very soft, it still felt…off. It was a toonish construct, no doubt about it. Whoever it was, they must have been after the ink. Looks like Alpha and the others stopped the theft, but at a cost.

Theodore picked up the feathers and cloth. He placed them on a nearby shelf before grabbing a bottle of ink and a brush and returned to the mural.

"You did good Alpha. Don't worry, I'll fix you." Theodore said in a soft voice. He dipped the brush in the ink and started filling in the blank part of the wolf's face.

"We'll find out who did this-" he glanced at the feathers on the shelf. "and one night, we'll do a little hunting of our own."


End file.
